Around 1720 BCE, the Nile Delta was invaded and occupied by the Hyksos, who ruled Lower Egypt from their capital, Avaris, until driven out by Ahmose I of Thebes in 1567 BCE. The return of stability in Egypt meant the vigorous trade in goods on which so many Near Eastern societies depended could recommence. Furthermore, with the troubles in Mesopotamia and the decline of the Minoans, Egypt began to dominate the region. An important change that came with the reestablishment of unity involved religion: no longer only the purview of the elite, it now comprised larger sections of society. Festivals, processions, and celebrations that could draw thousands of participants were introduced. Two types of Temples: The New Kingdom saw the rise of large temple institutions that played an important part in the life and politics of the times. 01. MORTUARY TEMPLE For Ministration to the defied Pharaohs. WASET (THEBES) Developed from the offering chapels of capital of Egypt was Thebes the Mastabas and Royal Pyramids. Amun-Ra national deity At least a dozen temples were built over a fivehundred-year 02. CULT TEMPLE period, from about 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE. For Worshiping the multifarious local Rulers built and extended temple complex deities. - Queen Hatshepsut - Thutmosis I Different Parts of Egyptian Temples: - Amenhotep III Entry Gate (Pylon) - Seti I Palisaded Court - Ramesses II Vestibule/ Hypostyle Hall Some sixty festivals were celebrated in Thebes annually. The three Sanctuary most important of these traveling festivals involved Amun; his wife pylon-large entry tower palisade-Surround with a wall in Mut, the Egyptian mother goddess; and Muts son Khonsu, the order to fortify lunar deity. The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Der el Bahari, Thebes 1520 BC
Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmosis I, the
fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, was a charismatic and controversial figure in her role as a female monarch. She ruled for twenty years, during a particularly strong moment in the Egyptian economy. The temple, built by Senmut, her architect, went against the tradition of enclosed precincts. It combined mortuary temple, processional way, rock-cut tomb, and ancillary chapels into one synthetic unity with no parallel in Egyptian architecture. Architect_ Senmut. Place of Burial Lay Far Away in a corridor (500) tomb in the mountains beyond. Solely a mortuary temple; also dedicated to Ammon and other gods. Terraces at three levels, double colonnade; approached by ramps. Upper terrace is a walled court, double colonnaded, flanked on the left by queens mortuary templr, and on the right by a minor court containing enormous altar to the sun god RA Surface relief. Columns having 8-16 sides The Great Temple of Ammon/ Amun ( The Sun God), Karnak, Thebes 1530-323 BC
Greatest of all Egyptian temple
Originally it was a modest shrine (Middle kingdom 2000 BC) Building proper 1200X360 SURROUNDING WALL 20-30 THICK Immense enclosure with a sacred lake Connected to temple of Luxor with a avenue of sphinxes 6 pairs of pylon by different king in different time Great court 328X275 before HYPOSTYLE HALL 338x170 HYPOSTYLE HALL 16 ROW OF 134 COLUMN Central bay column 69 high 11 9 dia Side column 426 high 8 9 dia Papyrus flower or bell type capital Obelisks-A stone pillar having a rectangular cross section tapering towards a pyramidal top Sphinx- One of a number of large stone statues with the body of a lion and the head of a man that were built by the ancient Egyptians TEMPLE OF LUXOR One enters the Temple of Luxor through a rhomboid-shaped courtyard, built later by Ramesses II, that leads to a passageway of two rows of seven impressively scaled columns 21 meters high. That space opens to a court and a hypostyle hall, and finally to the sanctuary itself. A series of successively smaller telescoping rooms then leads to the sanctuary, where the barque was stored. From a door to the left, one gained access to the hall placed at right angles to the axis, which was defined as the mythical place of the path of the sun. Three doors opened to rooms, one for each of the cult images of the divine triad: Amun; his spouse, Mut, the mother of gods; and their son, the moon god Khonsu. They all gathered here during the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. The temple is not axially aligned but follows the gentle easterly bend of the processional route, as it was extended in later building campaigns farther and farther toward the north. Egyptian temples, unlike Mesopotamian templesor even later, Greek and Roman templeswere not conceived as finalities. Instead, they could grow, be changed, get rebuilt, and even be allowed to decay over time. In the case of Luxor, rulers added courts and hypostyle halls as indications of their support and patronage. The Amun-Re Temple, for example, grew steadily toward the Nile, with new gateways being added and others redesigned. Ramesses II (12901224 BCE) was a pragmatic ruler who extended the sphere of Egyptian influence from the upper valleys of the Euphrates to the fourth cataract of the Nile. Nubian gold from the mines of Wabi el-Allaqui swelled his coffers. To protect the trade routes, he built a series of temple outposts that also served to spread Egyptian cosmological beliefs.
The Great Temple of Abu Simbel, Nubia
Rock hewn temple by RAMESES II Entrance forecourt to imposing faade 119 wide 105 high formed like pylon 4 colossal statue 65 high A hypostyle hall beyond 30 high with 8 column 8 smaller chamber not symmetrical colored wall relief central sanctuary 3 small chamber in the back On the interior, the temple contains two pillared halls, storage rooms, and a sanctuary deep in the rock. The 10-meter-high walls are mainly covered with scenes and inscriptions relating to the kings military exploits against the Hittites and against the Kushites in Nubia. The axis ends in the sanctuary on the west wall with a row of four seated statues of Ptah, Amun, Ramesses, and Re-Harmachis. The small altar in front of them is where sacrifices were made when the light of the rising sun illuminated the sanctuary at dawn.